As the U.S. is being attacked with nuclear weapons, Eli flees with his family to the underground shelter his super-rich father had built for just such an occasion. Now nine years later, Eli discovers an email from his twin brother who never made it to safety. Is the email some kind of sick joke, or was the nuclear attack a hoax?
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks attempts to take over a secret, all-male society at her exclusive prep school, and her antics with the group soon draw some unlikely attention and have unexpected consequences that could change her life forever.
Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
Mia, who is finally a senior at Albert Einstein High, faces difficult choices about boys and her status as princess while her future--and Genovia's--hangs in the balance.
No Cream Puffs by Karen Day
In 1980, when twelve-year-old Madison, who loves to play baseball, decides to play in her town's baseball league, she never envisions the uproar it causes when she becomes the first girl to join. (Newton author)
Runner by Carl Deuker
Chance lives with his troubled father on a boat in Seattle, and he's counting the days until he can graduate and get away. Out for one of his long-distance runs, he meets a stranger who offers to pay him--a lot--to make some deliveries during his runs. Chance takes the offer, eager to make money to start his new life. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into.
Freak by Marcella Pixley
Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school. How will she handle this painful predicament? The author is a graduate of Brown Middle School in Newton.
Boost by Kathy Mackel
Savvy is the girls' basketball team's star player, but, despite her height and skills, Savvy struggles with her self-confidence and searches for some way to boost her performance. When steroids are found in her bag, Savvy denies they are hers and the rumors start to fly.
Trouble by Gary Schmidt
Henry, wishing to honor his brother Franklin's dying wish, sets out to hike Maine's Mount Katahdin with his best friend and dog, but fate adds another companion--the Cambodian refugee accused of fatally injuring Franklin--and reveals troubles that predate the accident.
Other Worlds
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod, short for Nobody, escaped the man who murdered his whole family by running into an old graveyard. The inhabitants voted to take him in and they raise him with love and care, but his past does not go away, nor the man who pursued him so many years before.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
In the not-too-distant future, Jenna wakes up from a year-long coma following a car accident that killed her two best friends. As she recovers, she can't remember anything of her earlier life and has to watch home movies to learn who she was. Nothing is quite making sense: why can't she go to school, why does her grandmother hate her, and why doesn't her body feel quite right?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.
Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
Princess Benevolence discovers an enchanted room while locked in the castle's highest tower by the conniving Queen Sophia and begins learning the magical arts, which may help her save her kingdom from a mortal threat.
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
After a quiet, happy year in a small town, Queen Olympia regains her memory and initiates new plots and manipulations, as the residents of Zandelphia and Beaurivage, now ruled by Christian, Marigold, and Swithbert, feel the effects of her bad energy. (Sequel to Once upon a Marigold)
Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Fourteen-year-old Kezi and Olus, Akkan god of the winds, fall in love and together try to change her fate--to be sacrificed to a Hyte god because of a rash promise her father made--through a series of quests that might make her immortal.
Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
Halli Sveinsson, a mischievous young man who does not fit in with his peers and siblings, plays a trick on Ragnor that goes too far, forcing him to embark on a hero's quest in which he will face highway robbers, monsters, an intriguing girl, and truths about his family and the legends he grew up with.
How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
In a world in which everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie decides she does not want hers--a parking fairy--and embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite and replace it with a better one, like her friend Rochelle's shopping fairy.
Back in Time
Sisters of the Sword by Maya Snow
Two aristocratic sisters in ancient Japan disguise themselves as samurai warriors to take revenge on the uncle who betrayed and murdered their family.
Chains: Seeds of America by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.
The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson
Tally and her friends at Dalderton Boarding School form a dance troupe and travel to Bergania, where she befriends Karil, the crown prince, and helps him flee the Nazis after his father is assassinated.
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
In October, 1942, Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.
Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle
Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend's family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
Anita, a typically self-absorbed twelve-year-old living in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s, is surprised to discover her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.
Mystery & Adventure
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross country bicycle trek the summer after graduating, only one of them returns. Now the FBI wants to know what happened.
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
Bobby wakes up one morning to get ready for school, but when he goes into the bathroom he notices a problem--he's not there. Somehow, Bobby has turned invisible overnight. His parents tell him to stay home until they can figure out how to make him visible again, but he just can't wait.
Airman by Eoin Colfer
In the 1890s on an island off the Irish coast, Conor Broekhart is falsely imprisoned and passes the solitary months by scratching designs of flying machines into the walls, including one for a glider with which he dreams of escape.
The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie
Elijah, a nearly twelve-year-old boy growing up on a farm in rural New England in 1927, makes the shocking discovery that his mother is a witch when two strangely glamorous aunts arrive, who are suspiciously interested in his first chin whisker, to spirit him away to Moaning Marsh. 2009 Edgar Allen Poe Award nominee.
The Curse of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes digs into her trunk of disguises to track down a missing heiress--and avoid her older brother Sherlock Holmes, who wants her to return to the family home and live the life of a respectable young lady. Another in the historical mystery series that begins with The Case of the Missing Marquess.
Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde
Isabelle, twelve years old, has no memory of her past. Could she have been stolen by the old witch of the woods, or is her memory loss from an accident?
More Than Superheroes
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castelucci and Jim Rugg
After moving from Metro City to the boring suburbs, Jane and her new friends (Jane, Jayne, and Polly Jane) form a secret society to startle their suburban neighbors with funky public art installations that pop up overnight.
Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi
The legendary escape artist plans to jump off the Harvard Bridge in Cambridge as a publicity stunt. Wearing only a swimsuit, he's examined by police and imprisoned in handcuffs and leg irons before jumping into the icy Charles River. Find out how he escapes.
Into the Volcano: a Graphic Novel by Don Wood
While their parents are away doing research, brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg go with their cousin, Mister Come-and-Go, to Kokalaha Island, where they meet Aunt Lulu and become trapped in an erupting volcano.
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
Rapunzel, having grown up in a lovely castle with the woman she thought was her mother, is placed in a very tall hollow tree as punishment after her curiosity prompts her to climb the castle wall and look at the ruin of the world beyond her home. With the help of Jack, she is able to escape and together they embark on a plan to free the land from the grip of the witch.
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm and Rich Tomasso
Satchel Paige put on a show when he pitched and commanded respect as an African American able to strike out white players almost at will, but the times were very difficult for African Americans because of Jim Crow practices.
The Real World
Eat This, Not That!: for Kids! by David Zinczenko
Is the food from your favorite fast food restaurant healthy? Learn the nutritional facts for thousands of foods along with healthier alternatives. The adult version is on the best-seller list.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka
The author of the Time Warp Trio books explains how growing up as one of six brothers, having a Catholic education, reading comic books, spending summers at the lake with time to kill, watching TV shows, and hearing jokes at the family dinner all played a part in making him the writer he became.
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The author presents a tender story of his family's love for their golden retriever, Marley, and recalls how he grew from a mischievous puppy into a nearly impossible adult that no amount of obedience school training could correct.
The Wicked History of the World by Terry Deary & Martin Brown
A collection of interesting facts that describes fifty of the most vicious villains in history.
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Nelson Kadir
Explores the history of Negro League baseball teams, discussing owners, players, hardships, wins, and losses; and including illustrations.
Great Books Too Good to Miss
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parent's death as they search for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally, like everyone in this society, is scheduled to have an operation at her sixteenth birthday to turn her into a perfectly beautiful pretty and then move into a high-rise, high-tech home where life is a party all day long. Will she go through with it?
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Westley, a farm boy, goes off to seek his fortune shortly after declaring his love for Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, but their relationship is put to the test when his ship is captured by pirates and she is summoned to become the bride of the prince.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The new girl at a high school is a unique individual who has a real impact on life at the school and those who care for her, and the school has an unexpected impact on her.
Moving Up to 6th Grade
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Marvin, a beetle with amazing artistic talent, and his human friend James become embroiled in a plot to recover a drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
After being expelled from school, thirteen-year-old David Eliot is sent to Groosham Grange, a spooky and sinister boarding school where nothing seems quite right.
The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
Three young bears of different species--one black, one polar, and one grizzly--travel on a perilous quest to the Northern Lights, escorting a shape-shifting grizzly cub whose destiny will affect them all.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father's attempts to change Greg's wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school. Book 3 in the popular series.
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Mibs Beaumont is about to turn 13 and learn what her "savvy" or magical power is, just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.
The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Marylin and Kate have been friends since nursery school, but when Marylin becomes a middle school cheerleader and Kate begins to develop other interests, their relationship is put to the test.
Return to Summer Reading HomeS
Just Like Real Life
The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
As the U.S. is being attacked with nuclear weapons, Eli flees with his family to the underground shelter his super-rich father had built for just such an occasion. Now nine years later, Eli discovers an email from his twin brother who never made it to safety. Is the email some kind of sick joke, or was the nuclear attack a hoax?After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks attempts to take over a secret, all-male society at her exclusive prep school, and her antics with the group soon draw some unlikely attention and have unexpected consequences that could change her life forever.Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
Mia, who is finally a senior at Albert Einstein High, faces difficult choices about boys and her status as princess while her future--and Genovia's--hangs in the balance.No Cream Puffs by Karen Day
In 1980, when twelve-year-old Madison, who loves to play baseball, decides to play in her town's baseball league, she never envisions the uproar it causes when she becomes the first girl to join. (Newton author)Runner by Carl Deuker
Chance lives with his troubled father on a boat in Seattle, and he's counting the days until he can graduate and get away. Out for one of his long-distance runs, he meets a stranger who offers to pay him--a lot--to make some deliveries during his runs. Chance takes the offer, eager to make money to start his new life. He has no idea what he's gotten himself into.Freak by Marcella Pixley
Twelve-year-old Miriam, poetic, smart, and quirky, is considered a freak by the popular girls at her middle school. How will she handle this painful predicament? The author is a graduate of Brown Middle School in Newton.Boost by Kathy Mackel
Savvy is the girls' basketball team's star player, but, despite her height and skills, Savvy struggles with her self-confidence and searches for some way to boost her performance. When steroids are found in her bag, Savvy denies they are hers and the rumors start to fly.Trouble by Gary Schmidt
Henry, wishing to honor his brother Franklin's dying wish, sets out to hike Maine's Mount Katahdin with his best friend and dog, but fate adds another companion--the Cambodian refugee accused of fatally injuring Franklin--and reveals troubles that predate the accident.Other Worlds
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Bod, short for Nobody, escaped the man who murdered his whole family by running into an old graveyard. The inhabitants voted to take him in and they raise him with love and care, but his past does not go away, nor the man who pursued him so many years before.The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
In the not-too-distant future, Jenna wakes up from a year-long coma following a car accident that killed her two best friends. As she recovers, she can't remember anything of her earlier life and has to watch home movies to learn who she was. Nothing is quite making sense: why can't she go to school, why does her grandmother hate her, and why doesn't her body feel quite right?The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
Princess Benevolence discovers an enchanted room while locked in the castle's highest tower by the conniving Queen Sophia and begins learning the magical arts, which may help her save her kingdom from a mortal threat.Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
After a quiet, happy year in a small town, Queen Olympia regains her memory and initiates new plots and manipulations, as the residents of Zandelphia and Beaurivage, now ruled by Christian, Marigold, and Swithbert, feel the effects of her bad energy. (Sequel to Once upon a Marigold)Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Fourteen-year-old Kezi and Olus, Akkan god of the winds, fall in love and together try to change her fate--to be sacrificed to a Hyte god because of a rash promise her father made--through a series of quests that might make her immortal.Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud
Halli Sveinsson, a mischievous young man who does not fit in with his peers and siblings, plays a trick on Ragnor that goes too far, forcing him to embark on a hero's quest in which he will face highway robbers, monsters, an intriguing girl, and truths about his family and the legends he grew up with.How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
In a world in which everyone has a personal fairy who tends to one aspect of daily life, fourteen-year-old Charlie decides she does not want hers--a parking fairy--and embarks on a series of misadventures designed to rid herself of the invisible sprite and replace it with a better one, like her friend Rochelle's shopping fairy.Back in Time
Sisters of the Sword by Maya Snow
Two aristocratic sisters in ancient Japan disguise themselves as samurai warriors to take revenge on the uncle who betrayed and murdered their family.Chains: Seeds of America by Laurie Halse Anderson
After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson
Tally and her friends at Dalderton Boarding School form a dance troupe and travel to Bergania, where she befriends Karil, the crown prince, and helps him flee the Nazis after his father is assassinated.The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
In October, 1942, Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people.Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle
Years afterwards, Ruben Hart tells the story of how, in 1929 Newport, Rhode Island, his family and his best friend's family were caught up in the violent competition among groups trying to control the local rum-smuggling trade.Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
Anita, a typically self-absorbed twelve-year-old living in the Dominican Republic in the early 1960s, is surprised to discover her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo.Mystery & Adventure
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross country bicycle trek the summer after graduating, only one of them returns. Now the FBI wants to know what happened.Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements
Bobby wakes up one morning to get ready for school, but when he goes into the bathroom he notices a problem--he's not there. Somehow, Bobby has turned invisible overnight. His parents tell him to stay home until they can figure out how to make him visible again, but he just can't wait.Airman by Eoin Colfer
In the 1890s on an island off the Irish coast, Conor Broekhart is falsely imprisoned and passes the solitary months by scratching designs of flying machines into the walls, including one for a glider with which he dreams of escape.The Witches of Dredmoore Hollow by Riford McKenzie
Elijah, a nearly twelve-year-old boy growing up on a farm in rural New England in 1927, makes the shocking discovery that his mother is a witch when two strangely glamorous aunts arrive, who are suspiciously interested in his first chin whisker, to spirit him away to Moaning Marsh. 2009 Edgar Allen Poe Award nominee.The Curse of the Peculiar Pink Fan by Nancy Springer
Fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes digs into her trunk of disguises to track down a missing heiress--and avoid her older brother Sherlock Holmes, who wants her to return to the family home and live the life of a respectable young lady. Another in the historical mystery series that begins with The Case of the Missing Marquess.Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde
Isabelle, twelve years old, has no memory of her past. Could she have been stolen by the old witch of the woods, or is her memory loss from an accident?More Than Superheroes
The P.L.A.I.N. Janes by Cecil Castelucci and Jim Rugg
After moving from Metro City to the boring suburbs, Jane and her new friends (Jane, Jayne, and Polly Jane) form a secret society to startle their suburban neighbors with funky public art installations that pop up overnight.Houdini: The Handcuff King by Jason Lutes and Nick Bertozzi
The legendary escape artist plans to jump off the Harvard Bridge in Cambridge as a publicity stunt. Wearing only a swimsuit, he's examined by police and imprisoned in handcuffs and leg irons before jumping into the icy Charles River. Find out how he escapes.Into the Volcano: a Graphic Novel by Don Wood
While their parents are away doing research, brothers Duffy and Sumo Pugg go with their cousin, Mister Come-and-Go, to Kokalaha Island, where they meet Aunt Lulu and become trapped in an erupting volcano.Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale
Rapunzel, having grown up in a lovely castle with the woman she thought was her mother, is placed in a very tall hollow tree as punishment after her curiosity prompts her to climb the castle wall and look at the ruin of the world beyond her home. With the help of Jack, she is able to escape and together they embark on a plan to free the land from the grip of the witch.Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm and Rich Tomasso
Satchel Paige put on a show when he pitched and commanded respect as an African American able to strike out white players almost at will, but the times were very difficult for African Americans because of Jim Crow practices.The Real World
Eat This, Not That!: for Kids! by David Zinczenko
Is the food from your favorite fast food restaurant healthy? Learn the nutritional facts for thousands of foods along with healthier alternatives. The adult version is on the best-seller list.Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories of Growing up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka
The author of the Time Warp Trio books explains how growing up as one of six brothers, having a Catholic education, reading comic books, spending summers at the lake with time to kill, watching TV shows, and hearing jokes at the family dinner all played a part in making him the writer he became.Marley and Me by John Grogan
The author presents a tender story of his family's love for their golden retriever, Marley, and recalls how he grew from a mischievous puppy into a nearly impossible adult that no amount of obedience school training could correct.The Wicked History of the World by Terry Deary & Martin Brown
A collection of interesting facts that describes fifty of the most vicious villains in history.We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Nelson Kadir
Explores the history of Negro League baseball teams, discussing owners, players, hardships, wins, and losses; and including illustrations.Great Books Too Good to Miss
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parent's death as they search for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally, like everyone in this society, is scheduled to have an operation at her sixteenth birthday to turn her into a perfectly beautiful pretty and then move into a high-rise, high-tech home where life is a party all day long. Will she go through with it?The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Westley, a farm boy, goes off to seek his fortune shortly after declaring his love for Buttercup, the most beautiful woman in the world, but their relationship is put to the test when his ship is captured by pirates and she is summoned to become the bride of the prince.Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The new girl at a high school is a unique individual who has a real impact on life at the school and those who care for her, and the school has an unexpected impact on her.Moving Up to 6th Grade
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
Marvin, a beetle with amazing artistic talent, and his human friend James become embroiled in a plot to recover a drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
After being expelled from school, thirteen-year-old David Eliot is sent to Groosham Grange, a spooky and sinister boarding school where nothing seems quite right.The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter
Three young bears of different species--one black, one polar, and one grizzly--travel on a perilous quest to the Northern Lights, escorting a shape-shifting grizzly cub whose destiny will affect them all.Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father's attempts to change Greg's wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school. Book 3 in the popular series.Savvy by Ingrid Law
Mibs Beaumont is about to turn 13 and learn what her "savvy" or magical power is, just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.The Secret Language of Girls by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Marylin and Kate have been friends since nursery school, but when Marylin becomes a middle school cheerleader and Kate begins to develop other interests, their relationship is put to the test.Beach umbrella photo from Flickr